Cannot remain silent about officiating in Egypt’s 3-2 loss to Argentina: EFA

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it “cannot remain silent” after what it believes was unfair and biased officiating in Egypt’s 3-2 round of 16 loss against Argentina.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticised the officiating after being left in disbelief as Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history.

“Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored, minimised, or treated as secondary,” the EFA said in a statement. “It is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination.”

FIFA’s chief of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, in a statement issued later Wednesday, said while constructive discussion about decisions would always be part of football, “unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.”

“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” he said. “When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.” The EFA said that the referee failed to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system appropriately, leading to the loss to Argentina.

Egypt appeared to have netted its second goal in the 58th minute, but a VAR review determined that Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez early in the buildup up to the goal. “Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game,” the EFA statement read.

Collina said, “During a competition, we prefer not to focus on specific incidents,” but he defended the Attia decision. “If a foul is identified in the build-up and is deemed to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review,” Collina said. “There is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal.” He said in the disputed case, Attia “clearly treads on the foot of Argentina No. 6 Lisandro Martinez.” “We believe that a foul is a foul,” Collina added.

“Regardless of whether the foul appears obvious,’ if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.”